“All true art lasts, said Tre Twitty prior to boarding an airplane on his way back home to the U.S. after a performance earlier this month in Fort Macleod, Alta.

Tre Twitty and Tayla Lynn will be honouring their legendary grandparents Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn live at the Esplanade May 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tre and Tayla will be performing the classics and sharing stories about their beloved grandparents.

“If you look at all the old country songs — first of all, they were all…” READ MORE

Happy ‘Almost Thanksgiving’ y’all!!! Apologies for my radio silence lately, but I’ve got some pretty big updates in the works!

First, I’m recording a record with the one and only John Carter in February at the Cash Cabin. We’ve had a great tour and now only have one show left this year. If you haven’t heard his music yet, you should definitely check him out ASAP:

Second, I am the official social media manager for Waverly, TN — being a massive lover of all things Wavery and Tennessee, I couldn’t feel more grateful nor honored (this is HUGE for me so I’m kind of freaking out still). If you’d like to follow along or leave me some funny comments from time to time, check us out on Facebook and Instagram for all things Waverly.

Third, Sarah Parker and I started a new non-profit! For those of you who don’t know Sarah, her and I met a few years ago when I first moved to Waverly. We met while Sarah, along with her husband were the Children’s Pastors as Compassion Church Waverly and instantly clicked. My husband Jon Cody Finger and I have 2 boys, True (5) and Scout (2), and Sarah and her husband Garrett Parker have 5 children; Will (13), Myleigh (11), Knox (7), Steely (5), and Mayer (1). After a couple years of growing — our families and as close friends — we came up with an idea…or rather God gave us the gift of passion for women and community building so we had no other choice but to come together to put some action to our theory.

We have searched far and wide, and we have yet to find another women-focused non-profit near our town. We want to build a community that encourages, empowers, teaches and inspires women to help both themselves as well as our beautiful town blossom.We want our town to be a place that our kids can safely enjoy and make long-lasting memories instead of having to drive an hour out of town. We want to “RISE UP” take action and mold this place into the best place it can be through everything from family-oriented events and festivals to outreach programs and more. And guess what guys? We’ve already got a pretty exciting lineup of events on the way! For anyone in Waverly or in neighboring towns, put these dates on your calendar!

Upcoming Events:

December 2nd: Wreath making class taught by the local Ross Farm

December 5th: Women’s Life Group

December 6th: Night Women’s Life Group

December 12th: Open House at local (*cough* “MY”) home to help Christmas sales

December 16th: Caroling and coat drive for kids

January (TBA): Concert and a movie at local Mi De Ga Theater

So this is where we are so far! We’re still in the process of applying for our non-profit license/number, but I can’t wait to hit the ground running with all of the awesome ideas that we’ve come up with. If anyone else ever has any ideas or wants to get involved, please never hesitate to reach out to me.

Thank you to everyone who helped my Pledge Music campaign reach 100% If you haven’t had a chance to get yourself a signed CD or something, it’s not too late! Head over to: https://artists.pledgemusic.com/projects/tayla-lynn

For any fans of Jamie Foxx’s BEAT SHAZAM, I’ve got some exciting news for you… I’ll be appearing on this week’s episode (S1:E9) premiering Thursday, 8/7c! We may or may not have been the first ones to be eliminated (we definitely were), but it was still tons of fun and I can’t wait for y’all to see it!

Here’s a trailer for my episode (I’m at the 15 second mark lol):

PS. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has continued to support my Pledge Music Campaign to record my new record. We’re currently at 25% of our goal, so please continue to help me raise money and spread awareness. I can’t do this without your help! Follow this link to donate (and get tons of awesome prizes and experiences as a thank you: pledgemusic.com/projects/tayla-lynn

Howdy y’all! I know, I know…. it’s been too long since my last record, “The Ranch” was released. Thank you for your patience. I’m happy to say a new album is underway! I’m very excited about these new songs and can’t wait for you to hear them. I feel lucky to be working again with Memaw (Loretta Lynn) and a handful of other extraordinary musicians in Tennessee. Some of the same crazy crew of musicians will be adding their touch to the analog tape, in addition to some amazingly-talented special guests! When all is said and done, this album will be pressed to vinyl ! (as will “Bittersweet Batch” !) All of this costs money, as you might imagine, much more money than I have. But we’re all much stronger in numbers. So I’m grateful to have teamed up with PledgeMusic, who has put together a way to bring YOU onboard for the whole experience!

Here’s how it works:

1. MAKE A PLEDGE!
I’ve come up with various exclusive items / experiences which are listed at the right hand side of this page. You will receive a digital download of the new album before its official release, just by making a pledge.2. SPREAD THE WORD!
Please forward, repost, retweet, share the link, tell your friends, + scream it out your windows! This project only happens if we all come together.

3. RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE UPDATES!
Once you pledge, you’ll instantly have access to the Private Update Section of the PledgeMusic website.This will include pledger-only content with behind-the-scenes special features. These updates will range from photos and video footage of the studio, never-before-seen videos of some new songs, and general progress reports that will let you know where the project is at.

YOUR pledge will help cover studio fees, musician + arranger fees, manufacturing costs, distribution + promotion. PledgeMusic is a special platform that builds a direct, personal connection between the artist, the music, and the audience, all while embracing the future of how music is produced. Everyone becomes actively involved in this album release. It’s a community project by the people, and for the people!

When the target goal has been reached, a portion of what you pledge will be donated to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). Not only will you be part of this exciting, music-creating process, but you will be helping NNEDV to provide training and resources about domestic violence for communities, advocates and victims. Awesome!
Check out more about NNEDV at http://nnedv.org/

Please consider pledging whatever you can.
Thank you so very much for your support !

Y’all, I am so happy to share a personal message from Memaw with you guys!

“Thank you so much for all of your prayers, love, and support. I’m happy to say that I’m at home with my family and getting better by the day! My main focus now is making a full recovery so that I can get back to putting all of me into what I love, sharing my music with all of you.

My new album, Wouldn’t It Be Great, was originally scheduled to come in August this year. I now want to wait to release it next year because this record is so special for me. It deserves me at my best and I can’t wait to share it. I want to thank everyone for hanging in there with me. I am getting stronger every day and can’t wait to get back out there with all of you. I’m just letting everybody know that Willie ain’t dead yet and neither am I, and I can’t wait to see all of you on the road!”

My husband sent me an article about a girl-turned-woman to mama who climbed mountains in Alaska. She never quit climbing after her kids were born yet changed the sails a bit.

He said you remind me of her…. You have that power. You don’t stop…you aren’t just a mom. You follow your heart, I know you’ll never stop.

I melted. I needed to hear that. With Memaw being sick, the stomach pains, kids being out of school and the road getting in high gear I have been wired and tired J

I have been home 2 days and I still have an entire laundry room full of dirty clothes and 3 suitcases laying on the bedroom floor packed to the gills with kids toys, clothes, shoes and yep fishing nets.

I went to LA and felt seen ya know? Like glamorous and thought…Wait is this where I am supposed to be? Did I miss something? This is easy being here. I have on make up and my hair is coiffed. People are bringing me things. I am spending the day with a Mega Star.

Then…I get back to my farm, a farm I never would’ve dreamed of living on and I feel my roots. My calm. My serenity. My boys, my animals and I know…Ok God that’s right I’m here. I am here.

I sit on my front porch with both babies on my lap. I see the chickens, goats, ducks in my cement pond, horses, cows, clouds, sun, barn, feel the breeze through the trees and hear the birds chirping and know I am home.

So girls. Don’t Stop. Keep Going. We are never just one thing. We want to have babies, we don’t want babies, we wanna create, we want to build, we want to stay home, we want to fly. Do it all.

Glennon Doyle Melton tells us to “make sure we are sharing from your scars not your open wounds.” But, alas, I am learning. I am trying to grow up. As I cipher through my blogs I read. I can feel the heartache or joy I felt when writing these stories. I edit from a place of scars today. I am in the process of a new journey.

Where my writings are as much of a focus as my music, as much of a focus as my job as a homemaker. Nothing will ever be as important as being a wife or Mama but there is balance here. I am finding that daily. Shall we step into these scars?

This was a blog written when I was aout 7 months pregnant and lost. As I read back and edit I can see why I relapsed a few months after that. There are signs everywhere.

I pray..I read,

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of the darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins…”

“Since then you have been raised with Christ set your heart on things above…”

I stop there.. Sexual immorality, being rescued from the darkness… I am a Christian. I believe that the only way for me to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ. I believe I am a sinner and I will pay for those sins when I die and see my heavenly Father. I do believe that Christ died for my sins and that because of that I am forgiven.

Disclaimer

I wrote the above paragraph in 2012. When I was drowning. I do believe I am a sinner, but the language I use there “I will pay for those sins” is not how I think anymore. I have asked for forgiveness and I have repented. I don’t believe I will be up there in shackles today. This is the entire love of Jesus. He washes me clean. All I have to do is show up.

Growing up I was always mischievous, rebellious, wild as all get out… My mama didn’t raise us in church exactly. We would go to Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ in Franklin when we were younger, then we’d head on over to the Nazarene church, Baptist, Jehovah Witness, Catholic, you name it, we went. Mama was a free spirit, she loved the Lord, she believed in Jesus. I followed her free spirit ways.

Now my Aunt Bill (Granny’s sister, my Mama’s mama) was not so free-spirited but my goodness she was full of love. She went o church every Sunday baby. She wasn’t so into Mama’s way of livin. Mama has got the best heart and she had kids real young so she was always looking for what it was that would save us…..lookin for somethin that would make her and us complete.

Sometimes that answer would come to her in not so good men and men that were good but just had their own demons too. Granny and Aunt Bill, who lived next door to each other “on the hill” watched all of this in what looked like anger on their hearts, but the older I get ,I realize it was total fear.

Mama lived fast. I liked it. So I did too 🙂

I mention Aunt Bill to ya because she is who I “heard” for some reason. She taught me more about the Jesus I have come to love and worship~more so than any church.

The God I know is loving, all-knowing, huge, knows every little ants heart, HE is funny, loves me and you the same, is sad about my misdoings but loves me anyway, keeps giving me life and love, He is always present , only I can shut HIM out, HE will have consequences for me when I get up there, but because I love HIM so I will get up there 🙂 He will judge me when it is my time. I am ok with that, he scary but I like havin something I fear. It helps me do right.

Rereading the above in 2017 from 2012 I am seeing a common thread here. I say that God is all loving but then I talk so much about how HE will punish me. Again, I say this is not the Lord I know today. Sure I will answer to my Father in Heaven but…this mean Daddy of a God isn’t the loving Father I have in my hearts eye today. I have taken so much out of this blog that was just jumbled and hasn’t even made sense to me. I see a broken girl in this blog, so taking some of those pieces but trying to come up with a solution based story in what I leave)

So, we know now, I read the bible, I am a sinner, I am a lover of Jesus Christ, I am an ex crack and heroine/pill/ alcoholic addict, I have had pre marital sex, My mama ain’t perfect but she is mine, I grew up with the word being taught to me, I go to church, I am a survivor of mental, physical and sexual abuse. I am a Christian. It is not my job to judge you, judge other people’s actions and I certainly have no room in my closet over here to sit on my throne and pack your stuff in there. I wanna love you. I wanna be loved.

(In 2017 I am reading this with you, I have not skipped ahead. I see the next sentence and now I get it. I was FULL of guilt and shame when I wrote this. FYI I relapsed just months later, I can see why now)

This takes me to a small topic I want to discuss. I got pregnant before marriage. I will be havin a talk with the Lord when I get up to the pearly gates for more than just pre marital sex I promise ya 😉

(again 2017, TAY, babe. This is not your God today)

I have wanted a baby for as long as I can remember. I met Jon Cody, we fell in love and were engaged a month later. 4 months later we found out we were pregnant. Our first thoughts were of joy and peace. This was a child who came from love. Our families were ecstatic. I believe with all of my heart and soul that once my baby boy was in my body it became a blessing. God loves Christian children. My son is just that.

Jon Cody and I decided to wait to get through the first trimester before telling anyone, our jobs, our friends etc. I was so scared I would miscarry. I am not in my twenties anymore. Ya know what I swore to be honest here so…..Im mid thirties now 😉 (that as close as I will get)

^^^^^^ *2017 fear of being really known

SO, ladies and even you guys know that we women start gettin nervous at that age. To me, once we had conceived there was nothing more important than keeping my baby safe. I mean with all the drugs I had done in my past I was afraid I had damaged my body permanently. My drug abuse was no small venture. So we waited. For me it was tortuous. If you know me at all you know I LOVE to tell everything fast and put it on FB/TWITTER even faster…

After the first trimester we told our friends and work colleagues. We were met with love. There were places in my life that I will not go into detail, but places in my life that told me I had to be quiet, not to tell this secret. It became a secret for a while. This brought back so much shame from my youth- I can not tell you the hurt I felt. But we survive don’t we…When Tru was 20 weeks and we found out he was a boy I told the world. There was so much freedom in sharing that love. We were just swamped with absolute love!!!

Now don’t worry, Jon Cody and I have read and heard AWFUL things! How I am not a good person, a sinner, we are only getting married because we are with child, on and on. The sad thing is this wasn’t just from strangers on some website or twitter but people I knew. The judgment was hurtful. I do know what my bible says and I hear my pastor preach. Pre marital sex is a sin. Guess what- I am not perfect and I sinned. I will be judged by my FATHER, and I hope that I don’t go around spewing hate at people who sin. Cause that my friend is a sin itself. 🙂 yesssss

(*2017 I hear so much anger, fear and judgment in my own voice in the above.

So where does all this lead. I don’t know. I guess it makes me feel better telling you who I am a bit. I want to know you too. I want us to begin a journey that is real here. IF you wanna judge me go on…I am tough as nails and can handle pretty much anything you wanna throw my way..

(*2017 saying you are tough as nails means you are probably hurting)

My sweet husband on the other hand gets very upset and wants to protect me. He was so mad reading the things people had to say about our love, our baby, hearing the shameful things people I knew were saying. He was ready to fight 😉 But instead we just hunker down and make our sweet family….Our life of love. MY GOD it is SWEET!!!!!!

(*2017 I hunkered down and made Jon Cody my God because I felt so much shame and guilt. Fear)

I wanna end with this. My girls (Stealing Angels) were so supportive and so full of love from the moment I told them about the baby. They are my sisters for life (*2017 truth)

. We are regrouping and figuring out our next move. As you know a baby changes everything 🙂 We are all still writing and recording music, anxious to get back out on the road. (LIE. I have no idea why I lied here. Maybe we were still talking about it but there was heartbreak and tears 100 times a day and we weren’t recording LOL, Oh Tay babe)

My sisters and their families were nothin but sweet angels during all of this news that absolutely turned their worlds upside down too. It has been a crazy ride and we so appreciate all the love and support we have received from our fans and friends out there. Keep with us..We only got a couple months left before we saddle up 🙂

(who even knows what any of that means? Couple months before we saddle what up?*2017)

5 Years Later

As I read this all again in 2017, 5 years later, I wonder what it is I am trying to convince yself if here? What is it I am doing putting this into the world back then? Am I gathering a posse for “my side, my salvation”. Am I looking for God in you? Was at looking for you to tell me I am ok and a good person? Today I know that is between me and God. I have enjoyed reading this and seeing where I have changed. I am so grateful for the relapse, for the rehab, for my husband, for the break from the music business so that I can see where I found the truth. It is in Jesus, in my family, in music and in writing. I no longer think I will be bashed in heaven for having my baby out of wedlock. I have asked for forgiveness and I have changed. I love the Lord and I feel HIS love for me. That’s all we can do. What a cool lesson Glennon is teaching me.